what did i do wrong with the auto siphon?

[thebamaking]

so i just racked my first batch of brew to a secondary ban after 7 days in the primary....i obviously did something wrong with the auto siphon because i only got about 4 gallons, maybe a little more, into the secondary before it stopped siphoning...i tried pumping it one more time but it just started introducing oxygen into the beer so i said forget it and left about 1/2 a gallon of liquid with the trub...what can i do next time to not waste this extra 1/2 gallon or so of beer on the bottom?

 

[rsmith179]

If the suction died, either the siphon got clogged at the bottom or you pulled it out of the liquid. I always siphon down to the last bit and then tilt the primary to get as much beer out as possible. This is also a really good reason to brew 5.5 gallon batches. That extra 1/2 gallon really helps when transferring to secondary.

 

[chode720]

When you are siphoning and get near the bottom, just tip the fermenter a little bit. The beer will pool on 1 side and you can generally pull more off before you hit the trub. Also, you can brew bigger batches to compensate. I generally brew about 5.2 to 5.3 gallon batches, just so I have the extra and dont have to worry about siphoning every last bit

 

[chode720]

If the suction died, either the siphon got clogged at the bottom or you pulled it out of the liquid. I always siphon down to the last bit and then tilt the primary to get as much beer out as possible. This is also a really good reason to brew 5.5 gallon batches. That extra 1/2 gallon really helps when transferring to secondary.

Rsmith, you beat me too it!

Sorry to hijack thread, but what part of Cleveland are you in?

 

[Chad]

Before siphoning, I put the fermenter on the countertop and slide a phone book under one side. That tilts the fermenter and pools the wort. Let it settle a bit before racking, though. Now you've got a deeper pool of wort available to you when you get down to the bottom, which helps you get all of the usable goodness into the new vessel.

Don't just drop the siphon into the wort and give it a pump. You need to actively control how deep it is, peering into the bucket as you get it as close to the bottom as possible without stirring up the yeast.

And another vote for 5.5 gallon batches. It makes a difference.

Chad

 

[Edcculus]

Could it be that the liquid in the vessel you were transferring to filled to the same height of the vessel you were siphoning from? The vessel you are transferring to needs to be lower than the one you are coming from. This might seem a little obvious, but aside from being clogged or just loosing the siphon, thats the only thing I can think of.

Hey, 3 Clevelanders in one thread!

EDIT:
I didn't want to hijack too much and put another OT post, but I'm living in Willowick right now.

 

[chode720]

Hey, 3 Clevelanders in one thread!

Awesome!

 

[thebamaking]

the glass carboy was definately well below the primary i was siphoning from so it definately wasn't that...i didn't try tilting it as it emptied though, and probably should have...oh well, i will give it another go soon with a second batch....i guess mistakes are a key part of learning in making beer...at least there were no catastrophies :rockin:

 

[tulsa_bob]

ok so with 5.5 gallon batches are there any adjustments that need to be made using 5 gal kits?

 

[GrizlyGarou]

ok so with 5.5 gallon batches are there any adjustments that need to be made using 5 gal kits?

to get an identical beer in a larger volume, you'd have to use more of all of your ingredients. So, from 5 gallons to 5.5, you'd use 10% more.

 

[peripatetic]

to get an identical beer in a larger volume, you'd have to use more of all of your ingredients. So, from 5 gallons to 5.5, you'd use 10% more.

. . . which is difficult to do if you bought it as a kit. If you are buying pre-packaged and pre-measured ingredients, it will definitely water down your beer to add water. OK, that sounded smart-ass but I didn't mean it that way. When I brew from the pre-measured kits, I just live with having less than a full 5 gallons when I'm done. If you are buying ingredients separately and can add 10% more, then you can go with a 5.5 gallon batch.

 

[Cheaton]

Awesome!

Just to continue with the thread hijacking, I thought I'd add a +1. Mayfield Heights checking in.... :rockin:

P.S. make sure you have the racking cane part of the autosiphon all the way down to the bottom.... could screw up suction towards the bottom if it's not. I did some experimenting with mine and some buckets and some tap water before I used it for real.

 

[Trencher]

In addition to brewing a larger batch, try giving the yeast more time to settle out, or even cold-crash before racking if you can. After 2 or 3 weeks in primary the yeast cake should be more compact so that you can get more clean beer off the top.